Forshage Guitar – Black and Beautiful
Another recent example of Chris Forshage’s guitar building art, this black electric guitar includes a figured maple top on a mahogany back, a maple neck and an ebony fretboard. The Benedetto pickups have ebony veneers and the ABM headless bridge is also finished in black – just a beautiful instrument.
For our first coverage of the Forshage guitar, see The Forshage Hollow Body Electric Guitar.
Evil, evil, evil of you to post this blatantly pornographic image on an otherwise pure website… Pictures of Forshage guitars are not easy to come by without a direct line to the “man” himself. I’m sure that’s exactly what is going on! (Evil!)
I would like to see this model launch some variations – wider, different sound hole arrangements, fully hollow, carved top, different bridges, transducer pickups, etc. I think it has so much exploration potential and I really want to order another one, if only I can figure out exactly what features I want, and nail down Mr. F – who seems quite busy (of which I am glad).
@Roger – All I can say is there are dark forces at work… 😈
I have a red wood topped Forshage Ergo in various stages of completion. To say I am excited and hopeful is an understatement. I do hope to see it on this site when completed.
So… sweet….
Yes, Roger, my wife has caught me many times drooling while online here . . .
Marc
@Michael – I’m looking forward to your redwood topped Forshage! I’m sure we can arrange something. 🙂
Love hate relationship with this guitar…Like a great looking woman that is not really good in bed….THE KLEIN GODS SMILE MIGHTILY ON THE KLEINS….THE GODS CHUCKLE AT THIS GUITAR….NOT SURE WHAT IT WANTS TO BE WHEN IT GROWS UP lIKE THE Red Violin it needed the final ingredient to make the mojo…it is close but not just there yet
Chris a nice great lovely guy…wish he was a genius…this guitar doesnt sing like a klein bIRD…J
Obviously to each their own, and maybe the guitar will never be “it” for you. But I think implying lack of genius is probably a little insulting. Kleins are not the be-all either. Nothing is!
Sounds like maybe your lovely lady needs someone more attentive to help her be more… er… responsive. Wanna sell it?
I’ll concur with Roger – there’s no “perfect solution”. Each one of us will have to decide what’s important to our situation. At the same time, you don’t say what you find lacking in the instrument. Are you an owner?
From an ergonomic perspective, the Klein is a huge leap forward compared to traditional designs but by no means perfect. I’m not knocking the design. I’m a big fan and it has inspired a number of luthiers to look at ergonomics. It even inspired me to start this site, build a guitar and run this site for several years. But there’s plenty of room for improvement.
And as far as Chris is concerned, I don’t have any doubt of his genius and courage as a guitar builder.
My words were harsh…my apologies…I did not mean to insult Chris…we need more luthiers like him pushing the boundaries…
A delightful guy who has huge success in front of him….
What I meant to say before the wine was it is such a gorgeous instrument…wanted to love this guitar…wound up just liking it.
You can never put your finger on why a guitar has the mojo?
Mucho respect for Chris….
Mojo is an elusive thing. I’ve been there – including vintage guitars with a textbook pedigree that were totally underwhelming. The Forshage ergo hollowbody in the standard woods (maple/mahog) tends to be bright, especially in the single coil settings (which you don’t have). I had to modify mine shortly after I got it to dial it in to my taste. Maybe it’s the pickups or their adjustment? Wonder what you don’t like, er, love.
Beautiful instrument, Chris.
Hi Roger,
The hollow body Klein design was a great IDEA…actually saw yours on line and got very excited….The Forshage Ergo was very reasonably priced and Chris was a great guy. I AM Having the neck shaved down and making a few modifications and hopefully I will feel the love…I am a steinberger neck guy and the neck on the ergo was like a Jeff Beck strat…unplayable for me…need it so much thinner my tech is nervous the truss rods will come popping out. It is still a work in progress…I was bummed out it wasn’t swinging right out of the box…keep you posted and thanks for spreading the word on Chris’s work.
Any experience playing the Teuffel Birdfish?..I think that might be my next investment….Love the look of that guitar….unfortunately no one in Vegas has one to try..I will never buy a guitar again unplayed….J
J
I have recently received my Forsage…what a thrill. As a Klein player I am now totally in love with both instruments….while the Klein has a tighter feel, integrated better to my body, the Forsage has a tone that cannot be believed. I play it through a Tone King Meteor or a Fender Super Reverb. Either amp brings out unique characteristics in the instrument. I asked Chris for a thick neck and it has taken some getting used to. However the idea of having it modified, thinned down a bit, gives me pause because I know doing so will have an effect on the guitars sonority. I will adapt to the instrument, not vice versa..
Ralph Gibson
I’d love to see some pics of your Forshage, Ralph. I’ll drop you a note…
Ralph – lovely work on your website, the music and photography are truly beautiful. Were any of the pieces on the site recorded with the Forsage?
-Al
Al,
Thanks for your kind response. I have not yet recorded anything with the Forsage but do have plans to do so in the near future. I’m still coming to understand the difference between the Klein and the Forsage in terms of my musical intention.
I’ll have something up later this week on YouTube( with the Klein).
Ralph
Good thread here…
I’ve owned many guitars and I can get used to pretty much any kind of neck at this point. Chris does make a chunky neck, but I like it. If you are a Klein or ‘Berger player, those are skinny necks indeed, and they can be comfortable in one way, but cramped in others. I agree with Ralph’s approach – adapt to the instrument – unless it’s totally out of the question. Ironically, I initially asked Chris to match the Steinberger (Moses) neck dimensions. He convinced me not to and I am glad for that!
Not long ago I was determined to learn Flamenco guitar, and after playing exclusively on those for about 4 months, every other guitar neck felt like a pencil, and my fingers like sausages. The muscles (and brains behind them) are actually very adaptable. Give it a shot.
Roger
Thank you Gentlemen…appreciate all your suggestions…Totally agree with the adaptable evolution theory….But too many gigs with the Steinbergers/Kleinbergers have ruined me…Everytime I picked up the Ergo.. the neck seemed to get bigger. Not just the thickness of neck throwing me off….it is the width of fretboard as well…For three years I had the house gig at the Paris Hotel 7Pm-11Pm and The Venetian Hotel Midnight to 4AM…Klein did the bulk of the gigs…no adapting after that kind of run…
Seems like you should have discussed your neck profile requirements with Chris when you commissioned the guitar.
I will let Chris answer that question if he reads this….
Hi Guys, Found a luthier who shaved the monster neck down to kleinberger specs…much happier with guitar now…you wouldn’t believe the amount of wood he shaved off.
The truss rods didn’t pop out and he even got the width of fret board down to a less noticeable difference for me.
Thnaks again for all your suggestions…will take this beautiful guitar out for a few gigs and test the mojo and get some feedback on tone etc.
Thanks
J
Thanks for the update, J. Let us know what you think of the changes.